


A war with quovadis

by MysticGalaxie



Category: The Resident (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28626462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticGalaxie/pseuds/MysticGalaxie
Summary: After Dr. Randolph Bell broke it off with Quovadis, and he assumed that all would be fine, after the dust settled. He couldn't have been more wrong.
Relationships: Conrad Hawkins/ Randolph Bell, Devon Pravesh/Aj Austin, Nicolette Nevin/Mina Okafor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also on wattpad and tumblr

After a surgery well done, everybody at Chastain hospital was relieved. It was a rarely attempted and barely researched surgery, a triple transplant. The patient was very close to many of the doctors in the hospital, so there was much to be celebrated. The surgeons who did the procedure, Randolph Bell, Mina Okafor, Aj Austin, and the doctors who were involved, Conrad Hawkins, Devon Pravesh, and Nicolette Nevin all arranged to meet up and celebrate for a job well done. 

After shift was over, the group got dressed and left in their own rides, only to meet up at a bar about 15 minutes from the hospital. They all got out of their vehicles, speaking in the parking lot as they walked inside of the bar. Conrad figured it was a bit empty but also realized most people were probably still at work on a Wednesday night. The group got a table for all of them to be at, and they got all seated.

They all began chatting, trying to figure out what they each wanted to drink. Since it was all 6 of them, it was probably best to coordinate their orders so one could go up to the bar and order. Nic figured out what everyone wanted and she stood up, walking over to the bar. She told the bartender what they all wanted, and the bartender began working on drinks.

After a moment of standing there, Nic started to feel a bit uneasy. She felt like something was off, and she trusted her gut. She began to slowly examine the room around her, and noticed there was only a couple groups of people, all who looked rather shady. She again, had a really bad feeling. She glanced back to the table her friends were at, seeing Aj, Conrad and Devon making conversation of some sort. In contrast, Bell and Mina were more on the quiet side, occasionally agreeing with something that was said.

Before Nic could begin thinking about the suspicious situation, the bartender gave her the drinks. She nodded a thank you, trying not to seem as weary as she was of the whole thing. She grabbed the tray of drinks and carefully made her way back over to the table, where she sat the tray down and resumed her spot beside Conrad. She turned and whispered to him,

"I don't like this. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing." She admitted.

Conrad shrugged, not thinking anything seemed too out of the ordinary. After a moment he whispered back,

"Im sure it's fine. Plus, there's six of us. What could go wrong?"

Conrad responded with his reassuring smile. By now, the others had started to loosen up a bit, Randolph chiming in to conversation a bit more. He grabbed the drink he was ordered, taking a sip as Nic realized a man walking up to the table. Nic raised her brow, talking to the man.

"Uhm, hello sir. Is there something we can do for you?"

She asked politely, putting on her act a bit so she didn't seem so paranoid. She was trying to believe what Conrad had told her but she was finding it harder and harder to not think everything here was just off.

At this point, everyone at their table had quieted down, their attention now partially focused on the stranger that walked up.

"Well, not with you actually. I do have some business with Dr. Bell, though."

The man answered, and Randolph nodded. He recognized the man as somebody who he had worked with in the past. The man then smiled politely as he turned his full attention to bell.

"Can we speak with each other in private? There's something I'd like to speak with you about." The man questioned.

Nic felt a pit forming in her stomach, but as she looked around the table it didn't seem like anybody had the same paranoia she did. It had her starting to believe maybe her gut was wrong after all.

Randolph just shook his head in response to the man's question. 

"I'm with my colleagues right now, can we maybe get in touch at a later time?" He requested.

Oddly enough, the man just shook his head. "With all due respect to you and your colleagues, Its kind of important." He replied.

Randolph sighed and nodded. "Alright, but make it quick. I'm not really in the mood." He answered as he stood, excusing himself from his friends table. Then, the two men walked into the bathroom for some privacy.

Nic and the others watched them go. The others engaged in conversation again but Nik just felt too nervous to say much. Conrad took notice of her nervousness and he took her hand under the table, hoping to relax her, but Nic just seemed worried.

Randolph and the man stepped inside the bathroom. He seemed annoyed but he was trying to contain it. He turned to the man with a sigh. 

"What was so important that-"

He started to say, before he was cut off by getting pushed against the wall. Randolph was at a loss for words as the man pulled a knife from his pocket.

"You screwed over Quovadis, and Gordon. You took our money, our resources - now you're going to pay the price for your actions. Gordon wants you dead. And I'm gonna make that happen."

As the man finished his little victory speech, Randolph didn't even have time to react before he was stabbed in the stomach. He inwardly gasped, as the blade was twisted and pulled out as swiftly as it had stabbed him.

Randolph, being a doctor, his quickest reflex was to put pressure on his wound any way he possibly could. The man just chuckled.

"No no, we can't have that.."

He said, before he pushed Randolph against the wall more, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. He stabbed it into Randolph's wrist, before slamming his head against the wall. Randolph collapsed to the ground, his head spinning. He couldn't articulate his thoughts well enough to call for help, either. The man thought he had knocked the other out, so he turned away. All according to the plan. The man stepped over Randolph's body, washing his hands and knife of any blood, before he left the bathroom.

Nic looked up instantly, and seeing that Bell hadn't exited she gulped a bit. 

"Excuse me, where is Dr. Bell?"She questioned, her tone nervous.

The man looked over, smiling a bit. "He had to use the restroom, he'll be out in a couple minutes." He answered, walking back over to his group of friends, or whatever his group was.

Conrad looked at Nic, even he was starting to get suspicious a small bit but he figured he was just getting some of the overflow from Nic. He turned to her.

"You should try to relax a bit, I'm sure everything is fine."

Conrad whispered to her. Nic just shook her head, taking another sip of her drink. After a moment the group fell silent, hearing the group's around them start whispering, and Conrad noticed that Randolph still hadn't been back. 

"Im gonna be right back.." Conrad mumbled, excusing himself from the table as he quickly walked towards the bathroom. He got chills down his spine as he neared the bathroom. Something was wrong.

Just as Conrad neared the bathroom, a couple groups of 4-5 men stood up, blocking the exits. Nic and Aj were the first to jump up, realising the danger as they looked at the men. It didn't take very much longer before Devon and Mina also realised that something was wrong and they also stood up. 

Nic looked towards the bathroom but a man stepped forward, gun pointed at her. 

"If i were you, I'd keep reaaal quiet." 

He threatened her, so she did as requested as she looked back towards the bathroom. She was stressed and had no idea what was going on.

Conrad stepped inside the bathroom, and his instincts kicked in. He rushed over to Randolph's side, and without even thinking his slipped off his jacket, then his shirt. He used his shirt to apply pressure, and he pulled the older man into his lap. To his surprise, Randolph was still conscious. 

Conrad held onto him, keeping pressure without thought. Conrad didn't know what to do or say. He was panicked. 

"Hey, hey you've gotta stay with me.."

Conrad whispered to him, as he pulled out his phone and dialed 911, though it was tricky as there was blood on his hands. He looked down at Randolph, who was silent and losing consciousness. He grabbed onto Conrad's arm softly, but after only a couple short moments his grip faded and he lost consciousness.

Conrad gulped down his panic as the 911 operator answered.

"911, what is your emergency?" The operator asked, as they usually did.

"U-Uh, I've got a stabbed victim, offender is still in the building.." He quickly said, and the operator responded quickly.

"Okay sir, please calm down. Where are you at right now?" They asked calmly. So calmly it made Conrad upset, though he knew it was just their job. Conrad told them the address of the bar, and she took note of that.

"Okay sir, I'm dispatching an ambulance and some police to your location. Please hang tight. Is there any way that you can-"

Suddenly, he heard beeping. He pulled the phone away from his ear, and he looked at it. The call had been disconnected, and he had no service. He didn't know how long it would be until help got here.

He knew he was running out of options, so he opted to yell for help. 

"Nic! Somebody! I need help in here!" He yelled desperately. Seconds passed, and nobody came. "Goddamn it!" He cursed, knowing it wasn't safe to leave Randolph alone, unconscious and bleeding. But he had to get help.

He stood up and rushed out of the room, only to find all his friends at gunpoint, and a gun swiftly pointed at him. Seeing all the blood on him, Nic gasped. They all knew something bad happened. Conrad's pants, hands, chest - blood was everywhere. Conrad looked around, as the man who had to gun on him motioned with an annoyed look.

"Get over there with your friends. Now." He ordered. Conrad knew better than to object, but he was scared. Scared that bell wasn't going to make it. Slowly, Conrad walked over to the others. They all stayed still, as two men came from the back room and walked into the bathroom. They dragged Randolph's bloody, unconscious body into the main room. 

Nic gasped, hand flying over her mouth in shock. Devon touched her arm, since he was the closest to her. Before Conrad could say anything, somebody else stepped out into the main room.

And it was none other than Gordon Page.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a unusually quiet night at the hospital. Kit was still on call, she had to work some overtime at the hospital. As she walked past the nurses station, she heard a nurse talking to their friends.

"Its pretty quiet tonight." They said.

The people just kinda stared at her, as if she had said a devils curse. Which, everyone had a feeling she did.

"Never say the q word." Another nurse warned, as they got word an ambulance would be brining in a stab victim.

Kit sighed and turned to the nurses. 

"What is the address of this place? Like, how far away?" She questioned.

The nurse looked down and answered her, telling her the address, which Kit knew was the bar that all of her colleagues had went to.

Kit crossed her arms and slowly nodded. "That's where Dr. Bell and his colleagues went after shift. They should still be there. Be ready for them to arrive." Kit warned, worry in her tone. She knew of Randolph's falling out with Quovadis, and what could have possibly gone wrong. She just tried not to think too much about that until she was sure about what happened.

But she couldn't shake the feeling something horrible happened.

~

As Gordon stepped into the groups line of sight, it was as if a fiery rage exploded in Conrad's eyes. "You son of a bitch!" Conrad yelled, his hands making fists instinctively.

This only seemed to amuse Gordon, who laughed in response to Conrad. "Ooh, it would appear somebody is feisty~" 

Conrad's fists shook. He nearly went to step forward but he felt a gun press against his temple. He froze, as Gordon grinned. "Ah, yeah. If i were you, I'd stay put."

Conrad growled lowly, staying quiet as he knew it wouldn't do anything but make Gordon even happier. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and he felt slightly defeated as he realized it had only been a few long minutes since he called 911. He feared they wouldn't be here fast enough.

His eyes wandered back to Randolph, and his anger only grew. He shouldn't be in this situation. He wanted nothing more than to go help him.

Nic was in a bit of a panic mode, Devon was silent but trying to help her relax. Mina, who was beside aj and Conrad, just touched Conrad's arm. She didn't want to say anything given their current situation.

After a moment of staring at the group of doctors, Gordon got bored and walked over to Randolph's body. He knelt down, touching some of Randolph's blood. He smirked, tossing Conrad's bloody shirt away. Quickly, blood began to pool around Randolph.

Conrad's voice cracked a bit as he managed to speak. "Please, let me help him." He nearly begged, and Mina just gently rubbed Conrad's shoulder.

Gordon rolled his eyes. "He fucked me over, he fucked over my company and now he will pay the price."

Conrad was all out of options, and so was everybody else. Everybody was panicking a bit but Conrad seemed the most panicked and/or determined out of them all.

"Please. I'll do anything you want. Don't kill him. Don't let him die. Please..." Conrad begged again. Nobody in the room reacted aside from Gordon, who didn't even step away from Randolph. He kept his eyes on Randolph's body as he spoke to Conrad.

"Tempting. But my plan has gone PERFECTLY! There's not a chance in hell I'm letting this go!" Gordon yelled, causing Nic and Conrad to both flinch. Conrad had never felt more helpless in his whole life. And that was saying something.

Gordon then regained his full composure as he stood up. "Well, I believe this shitshow has gone on for long enough. Let's end this, shall we?" He smirked, and as he pulled out a gun Conrad felt tears start to bubble at his eyes. Nic was in shock, everyone else was either blank or panicking in their own way.

Gordon pointed the gun at Randolph's head. "Don't do this! Just let him go!" Conrad yelled, but it was futile. As Gordon placed his finger against the trigger, Conrad found himself holding his breath, not even realising it. He thought his heart might just stop right there. He knew it was over.

Until the bartender ran over and attacked Gordon. Gordon ended up shooting higher up on the wall in surprise, thankfully it missed Randolph.

Gordon and the bartender kept fighting, none of the other men shot because they didn't want to hurt Gordon. While the two fought, they heard sirens outside. Gordon, in a panic pushed the bartender off and shot him in the head. Mina gasped in surprise. Conrad and Nic flinched in surprise.

Gordon panicked still. "What the fuck!?" He yelled. "Get the fuck outta here!" He spoke as he took one last look at Randolph before he quickly ran out. The rest of the group had no choice but to follow. 

Conrad ran over to Randolph as quickly as he possibly could, tears running down his face before he could stop them. He pulled Randolph close to him, trying to put pressure on the wound. He used the other hand to check his pulse, and feeling how weak it was nearly sent Conrad spiraling.

Aj and Devon walked over to check on the man who had gotten shot, though they both knew he had to be dead after that. Mina hugged Nic, trying to get her to calm down even a little bit. Normally, everybody in this room was stone faced during danger. But this was personal. Nobody really knew how to feel.

Within a matter of seconds, paramedics rushed through the door and over to Conrad and Randolph. Conrad was a bit hysterical as the paramedics pulled Randolph away from him and onto the gurney. They started to work on him, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible before getting him into the ambulance.

Conrad stayed against the floor, just staring at Randolph's body. He didn't know why he was reacting this way. Randolph was just his boss, it wasn't like it was his family. But right now, he couldn't control his emotions much less figure them out.

He wasn't hearing anything that was happening. He was zoned out, but as soon as they started wheel Randolph outside, Conrad jumped up. "I'm - I'm coming with him." Conrad spoke, and the paramedic nodded. As they got Randolph into the back of the ambulance, Conrad looked down at his blood covered hands. Each time he got this much blood on his hands it wasn't any easier than the first.

As soon as he could, he got inside the ambulance. The paramedics shut the doors, and Conrad turned his attention back to Randolph. Without really thinking about it, Conrad grabbed his hand and held it. He didn't let go the whole ride to the hospital.

Back at the bar, Nic, Mina, Devon and Aj had to stay back. They knew the cops were going to arrive and want to question them about what happened. And they were nervous about telling the truth. They knew Gordon would come for ALL of them after this. But they couldn't defend him or lie to the cops. They knew what they needed to do.

After around 5/10 minutes, the ambulance arrived at the hospital. They jumped up and got Randolph out as quickly as they could, as doctors rushed out to help them. Conrad stepped out and stepped back, knowing they needed space. That and he knew he wouldn't be any help. The cold air hit his bare chest, causing shivers to run up his spine.

Kit ran out after a moment, looking at Randolph as they wheeled him off, then back to Conrad. "Oh my god Conrad, What happened?" She asked, trying to keep composed as she could see Conrad was far from it.

Conrad snapped out of his state a bit as he looked up at her. "He was stabbed... Gordon page and Quovadis orchestrated everything... We were all held at gunpoint... Gordon almost killed him and I couldn't help him. If he dies I.." He cut himself off with a deep inhale.

Kit frowned. "That's absolutely terrible... I'm so sorry that happened. But I know Randolph. He's been through a lot, I'm sure he'll be just fine." She tried to convince Conrad.

Conrad looked at her. "Nic had a bad feeling about everything. I should have just listened to her... If we had listened maybe he'd still be okay..." Conrad spoke. He was in slight denial, going over everything that had happened before Randolph got stabbed. Thinking of everything he could have possibly done to prevent what happened.

Kit moved closer and touched his shoulder. "That's the denial talking. Don't let it rule you. Come on, lets get you cleaned up.." She spoke with a gentle smile as she led Conrad inside. She was worried but Conrad came first. There wasn't anything she could do to help Randolph, anyway.

But she knew that if Randolph survived, not only would it be a long road to recovery, it would be hell to fight through their war with Quovadis. This was just the beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the bar, the cops got a statement from all four of the doctors. Everybody was on edge and wasn't in their best frame of mind but they knew that they needed to get through the questioning, and before they knew it the cops were dismissing them to go home or to the hospital. 

As the group stepped outside, they proceeded to check on each other before getting in their cars. Nic still looked considerably stressed and Mina was worried about her driving back to the hospital.

"Nic, are you alright?" Mina asked, her tone laced with worry. This night hadn't been easy on anybody, but the boys seemed to be dealing with it okay compared to Nic.

Nic looked over at Mina, as she shook her head. "I can't get the images out of my head, much less the feeling that we could have stopped what happened to him..." She spoke, shakily exhaling.

Mina shook her head. "Nic. Don't let that take over your mind. Your brain can be used for better things right now. I'll drive you to the hospital, and we can pick up your car later, okay?"

Reluctantly, Nic agreed. She knew Mina didn't want her alone right now and she didn't want to upset Mina. Devon and Aj spoke before parting ways and going to their own cars.

Nic then went to step away from the door but then remembered something. She looked at Mina then. "I forgot something in there. Go ahead to your car, I'll be right there." Nic spoke, and Mina nodded before walking to her car.

Nic entered the bar. Seeing the blood sent shivers up her spine as she walked into the bathroom. She grabbed Conrad's jacket from the floor, seeing all the blood nearly made her sick so she left as quickly as she had entered, clutching Conrad's jacket close. She wasn't squeamish, but knowing who's blood it was was upsetting more than the actual blood itself. 

She rushed outside and into Mina's car, sighing deeply as tears were forming in her eyes. Mina touched her hand as she started the car and began driving to the hospital. They were all hoping for the best right now, but as a doctor they knew that there were harsh realities that needed to be faced.

Back at the hospital, Conrad had gotten cleaned up and changed into some scrubs instead of his bloody clothes. Kit had since left him alone as he had requested he have some time alone to try to process everything that had happened. He didn't know what was going to happen with Randolph, much less the hospital. There was a lot happening all at once, and even as he tried to understand it he felt himself getting even more stressed and confused.

When he stepped out of the break room, he saw the doctors wheeling Randolph towards the elevator. Conrad moved closer and one of the doctors seemed to read his mind, answering the question that was at the tip of his tongue. 

"We have to take him into surgery. There was damage to the liver. We need to drain it of blood and attempt to fix the damage." They answered, as they got Randolph into the elevator. Conrad went to follow but the doctor stopped him. "I think its best you wait down here." They spoke. The elevator door then slowly shut in Conrad's face, he just sighed.

He felt his face heat up in frustration, his lip quivering just slightly. He was sure Randolph would be okay. He had to be, right? He looked up at the T.v, which was playing news. The news station was already all over what had happened at the bar, it felt like only a few short minutes but in reality it had been almost an hour since it all happened. He took the stairs, taking his time until he reached the O.R floor. He wanted to watch the surgery.

By the time he had gotten up into the gallery to watch the surgery, the surgeon had just started entering the O.R. Conrad was nervous, as he paced back and forth. Within minutes the surgery commenced and Conrad paced the entire time. There were some complications, the bleeding was worse than they had anticipated upon entering surgery. Conrad was pacing still, after about an hour. Nic, Devon, Mina, and A.j soon entered the gallery to support Conrad. They managed to convince him to sit down and try to breathe.

Nic sat beside him, touching his arm. Nobody knew how to help Conrad, so they chose to stay there with him in silence. Aj and Devon sat a bit away, while Mina stood and watched through the glass. This had been a bit of a traumatic experience for every one of them, and they were each handling it in their own ways. Conrad was handling this the worst out of all of them, While Mina, Devon and Aj had closed off. Nic had tried to ignore her stress in order to help Conrad, which concerned Mina.

After about 2 and a half hours total, the surgery had finally come to a close. Randolph had gotten stitched up, although he wasn't doing well even after the surgery had attempted to repair the damage done by the stab wound, all the blood loss had weakened his body, The doctors weren't sure if he would make it through the night.

Once the surgery was over Conrad and his friends went down to recovery to speak with the doctors. Nic urged Conrad to stay behind with the others and to let her speak to the surgeon, and reluctantly Conrad agreed. Nic then walked over to the surgeon, sighing as she glanced back to Conrad one last time before speaking.

"Hey... How's Randolph doing?" She asked, knowing that the surgeon would be honest with her.

The surgeon only sighed, looking towards Nic. "He's in critical condition. He's lost a lot of blood and the trauma he sustained weakened him, He likely won't make it through the night. But there's always a chance, even if it's slim." They answered.

Nic rubbed her temples, a feeling of dread creeping up. Now she had to tell Conrad and she knew it would only hurt him worse. She managed to mumble a quick thank you to the surgeon and she went back to her friends yet again.

Conrad looked over at her. He had calmed down to a near-numb state by this point, after crying and struggling to deal with everything it was like his emotions just suddenly shut off. Nic sighed softly, looking at Devon. Devon already knew that it was nothing good.

Conrad crossed his arms as he slowly sat down. "Tell me the truth, Nic. Please." Conrad asked, and Devon stepped back as Nic sat beside Conrad. 

"Conrad... He's in critical condition... They don't know if he'll make it through the night..." She answered, gently touching his arm. She just wanted to try and help him any way she could.

Conrad just stayed completely silent. He felt his numbness taking the forefront. He just nodded. "I need a minute." was all he said as he got up and walked to the elevator, going down so he could get some fresh air.

Nic sighed weakly, and before she could stop it she had started crying, There wasn't anything she could do and she felt helpless. She was a fixer by nature, she always wanted to fix other people but she had no idea how to fix herself in the midst of all of it. 

Mina took Conrad's seat and hugged Nic. She didn't know what to say still, so she stayed silent and just tried her best to relax her friend. Devon and Aj then walked to the cafeteria, figuring that Mina had everything under control for right now.

Conrad ended up outside, rain was pouring down and all Conrad could think was that it was fitting. This reflected how he was feeling. He just stepped out into it, letting the cold rain soak his body and shock his system into thinking and behaving more clearly. He needed this time, knowing that the next few hours were going to be hell on him and his friends.


	4. Chapter 4

It seemed like forever. The moments had dragged on ever since Conrad had entered that bathroom a few hours ago. Every second seemed to be 5 years, yet every hour seemed to fly by. Nothing was making sense right now. Conrad thought about everything as the cold, bitter rain forced him into an alert state. He shivered yet he payed it no attention - his physical health didn't matter right now, his mental did.

He stayed focused, not even noticing that Kit had stepped outside. However, she stayed under the cover, staying out of the rain. "Conrad!" She called, hoping to get his attention without having to get into the rain herself.

This caused Conrad to break out of his state, and he then turned towards her. She just looked upset, and the more Conrad examined her he could tell she had been crying recently. Randolph is her best friend, in all fairness. 

She just sighed. "Come on, get out of the rain.. You'll catch a cold." She spoke, her almost mothering instincts had taken control. 

Conrad didn't wish to upset her anymore so he stepped under the overhang with her. "I just... Needed a clear head. The rain helped but i guess i got carried away." Conrad spoke, running his hand through his hair, which was dripping wet. Kit only sighed, sniffling a bit.

"I get it, trust me... I just don't want anything to happen to you, even a minor cold can ruin your day..." She said, voice wavering a bit. Conrad could tell she was only trying to hold it together while he was around. 

"Kit. You don't have to try and be strong around me. We are all taking this pretty hard. You don't need to try to protect me, if that's what you're worried about." He spoke honestly.

Kit just looked down, shivering from the cold breeze a bit herself. "I know. It just makes me feel better to help somebody else since i can't really help Randolph or myself... If that even makes any sense at all..." She mumbled.

Conrad just nodded sympathetically. "It does. Come on, lets get inside. Its cold and i need to dry off." Conrad spoke, holding his hand out for her to take. After a quick breather, Kit took his hand and they walked into the hospital again. 

As they walked past the cafeteria, Conrad spotted Devon and Aj. He noticed they were talking, but he couldn't really read either of their expressions. He chose to keep walking until he got to the elevator, knowing he needed to dry off before he even attempted doing anything else. Kit only followed, wanting to go up to recovery to check on Randolph.

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria Devon and Aj had gotten a coffee and sat down at a table. Both of the men were silent, sipping on their coffees with occasional sighs. That was, until Aj broke the almost unbearable silence. "So. I know maybe now isn't the best time but we don't have anything else to do, so we should talk. Especially about earlier." Aj spoke, trying to spark up a conversation even if it was a hard one to have.

Devon sipped his coffee as he stared down at the table. "What do you want me to say?" He snappily responded, without even really thinking about it, but instantly he regretted it. "Sorry- sorry." He spoke, correcting himself for being rude. Aj just nodded politely, letting Devon speak his mind.

"I don't know how to feel. I used to not like Randolph, but he changed. He started to come around us more, make logical decisions that i can actually respect- I think we all started to accept him in our little circle, clique or whatever you want to call it. Not only that but I feel like we should have KNOWN. Like- like if we just were a little more observant nothing would have happened. Maybe he wouldn't be on deaths door right now." Devon spoke honestly, pouring everything out.

Aj just nodded, being more than willing to play the role of therapist for the moment. He could tell Devon needed it. After hearing everything Devon had to say, Aj began to speak in response. 

"I understand. Randolph and I tend to argue a lot when it comes to the medical field, but lately he's been making changes which only makes this harder. Not only that, but your guilt is clouding over you. It is normal, but not reasonable. There is nothing you could have done differently, we all chose the location cooperatively and we all thought it would be fine. You are not to blame, and neither are we. Gordon page is to blame." Aj spoke, using his words of wisdom.

Devon just seemed to listen to everything, trying to actually take in what he said and meant. Devon just sighed and looked down. "Tell me honestly you don't feel guilty either. Even a bit. Regretful even?" He asked softly, though his tone held a slight edge to it.

Aj just froze for a brief moment. He knew lying to Devon wouldn't get him anywhere and Devon could probably call his bluff. He just crossed his arms a bit before responding. "We all do. In situations of trauma it happens. Everybody does it and i won't lie to you and say I'm not thinking over every detail. I just know that feeling like it's my fault won't get me anywhere." Aj admitted.

Devon looked up at him, and he only nodded. "Yeah, okay." He replied shortly, before they both fell into uncomfortable silence.

-

Conrad, who was now mostly dry, walked back to Nic and Mina. Nic was just staring at her hands as Mina watched the T.v. News was all over what happened at that bar, and Mina had kind of zoned out listening to the reporter. Conrad tried his best to ignore it as he walked over to Nic, sitting on the opposite side of her as Mina. 

Kit was also now on the floor, and she went straight towards the rooms. Conrad watched her go before he placed his full attention on Nic. He gently took her hand, kissing it like a prince would a princess.

She wiped any remaining tears away with her free hand as she looked back at Conrad. She obviously wasn't okay but she was trying to be. "Hey... Are you okay?" She asked gently, but Conrad didn't answer her question.

"No. Its not all about me. Nic, talk to me. I want to make sure you're okay. You can't let yourself fall apart in favor of trying to help others." He tried to persuade, Nic only looked up at him for a moment, before connecting their lips. It was much needed.

Conrad kissed her back gently, trying his best to pour all of his built up tension into it. Nic did the same, gently touching Conrad's face as she pulled away with the faintest of smiles. That definitely helped.

She went to speak, before somebody stepped onto the floor. It was Grayson. He looked panicked. His mother was behind him, but she didn't seem nearly as concerned as Grayson was. Conrad stood up, and before he could speak, Grayson did. "Where is he?? What happened??" He spoke quickly.

Conrad walked over to him and hugged him tight, he knew Grayson really cared about Randolph. "Kid... Come here, sit down with me for a minute." Conrad tried to coax him over. Grayson just slowly nodded, following Conrad over to the seats. 

Grayson sat down then, and Conrad sat beside him. Nic stood up and went to the bathroom quickly. Mina let her go, but she kept her eyes in the direction of the bathroom.

Conrad took a deep breath, looking at Grayson. Seeing how panicked he was only made this harder. Conrad swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he started to speak.

"Grayson... He was stabbed. He went into surgery a bit ago. They did their best to repair the damage but... He's in critical condition. If he makes it through tonight, he'll be in a bad condition for awhile..." He slowly answered. He wasn't gonna sugarcoat it. 

Grayson froze for a minute, as if he physically couldn't process what Conrad had just told him. Conrad knew the feeling so he just stayed quiet for the moment, and let him process it all. Grayson didn't know what to say, so he just managed to ask, "C-Can I see him...?"

Conrad just slowly nodded. He stood up and lead Grayson to Randolph's room. He was still unconscious, hooked to machines. His pulse was steady, and his breathing was even. He seemed... Oddly peaceful. Kit was in the room, tears running down her face.

As Grayson tried to choke down his own soft sobs, he turned to Conrad and hugged him, burying his face into his chest as he started to cry. Conrad just held him through it, knowing this wasn't easy, especially since Grayson began getting close with Randolph in the recent months.

Conrad found his mentality falling, as he watched every one around him struggle. Nobody seemed to be doing okay. It was undeniably hard, and he knew he wasn't alone. He sighed as Kit looked over to him, her tear stained face only hurting Conrad worse. He really hoped Randolph would be okay - for everyone's sake.


End file.
